Temperature-regulator for incubators



(No Model.) 'v v RRRALRoT, R

TRMPRRATURR REGULATOR PoR INCUBATORSL Y NQ. 382,779. R Patented-May 15, 15888.

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vmy invention.

UNITED STATES f PATENT 1 OFFICE.

GEORGE E. TALBOT, or TYNGSBOEOUGH, ASSIGNOEOF ONE-HALE To LY- MAN A. THOMAS, or MIDDLEBOEOUGH, MASSACHUSETTS. y

TEMPERATURE-REGULATOR FOR lNcuBAjroRs.

` SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 382,779. dated Mayas. 1888.

'Animation niea'noemberis, ieee. serial No. 218,972. (No model.)

To all whom/it mayeoncem:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. TALBOT, of Tyngsborou gh, in the County of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heat-Regulating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its objectto kprovide improved means for automatically regulating the heat in the egg-containing compartments' crease or diminish the temperature within the y incubator, the arrangement being such that upon agiveu rise of temperature in the incubator the expansion of air in the air-tight chamber will cause such a change in the weight of the leversupported receptacle connected with said chamber as will tilt the lever, 'and thereby operate the heat-regulating devices in such manner as to decrease the temperature in the incubator,'while the lfall of the temperature-below a given point will reverse the operation until th temperature is increased to or beyond said given point, as I will now proceed to describe. Y

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l represents a vertical section of an incubator embodying Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of a modication. Fig. 3 represents a section on line m zu, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents a vertical section of another modification. Fig. 5 represents another modification.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the iigures.

In the drawings, a represents the inclosingcase or body of an incubator.

b represents the egg-tray,which contains the eggs to be hatched', said tray being placed kwithin the casing a, and preferably removable therefrom. Above the egg-tray, and in the upper part ofthe casing a, is a sealed chamber, c, of sheet metal or other suitable mate-v rial. cylindrical, or othersuitable' form, andwhen used in an incubator constructed as shown inv Figs. 1 and 4 is partly llledwith Water or lSaid chambermay be'of rectangular,

other liquid-#such as glyceriuethe space above said liquid containing air.

' d represents a lever orvplatform adapted to tilt on a fulcrum, e, which is hereshown as located on the top of the casing a, although said fulcrnm may be located elsewherev in any convenient relationto the casing. On one end of said lever is placed a pail or receptacle, f, which is connected by a flexible tube, g, with a fixed tube, g', entering the chamber o. Y

Referring for the present to Fig. 1itwill be seen that the tube g extends downwardly into the liquid in the chamber and is trapped by said liquid, while the flexible tube g com-l municates with the bottom'of the receptacle f, so that a sufficient expansion of the air in the chamber c will force a part of the liquid from said chamber into the receptacle f, thereby increasing the weight of the latter. posite end of the lever d and at theopposite side of the fulcrum e fromthe receptacle'f is At the op'- 754 a second receptacle, h, .which is connected by a tube, z', (preferably fiexible,) with the receptaclef,and which in the apparatus shown in Fig. l is sealed at all points excepting where the tube z' enters it, Said tube communicating with the lower portion of each receptacle, `as shown. Y g

It will be seen that when a portion vof the liquid in the chamber c is forced by the expansion of the air in said chamber intothe receptacle f the end of the lever d lsupporting said receptacle will be depressed, and that the movement of the lever Athusfcaused may be utilized to ract `on suitable heat-regulating devices in such'manner as to decrease the temperatnre in the hatchinglcoxnpartment of the incubator. It is obvious that the heat may be reduced by turning down the wick of a heatrsupplying lamp by mechanism actuated by the describedv` movement of the lever d, or by mechanism controlled by electro-mechanicaldevices, which are caused to act by the closing orbrea'king of Ico an electric circuit by the movement of said lever, or by any other suitable arrangement of mechanism which the mind of a mechanic might devise, and my invention Vis not limited to any particular devices whereby the tilting motion of the lever is made effective.

I have shown in Fig. 1 as the simplest means of which I am aware a valve or damper, k, attached to one end of thelever d, and arranged to be lifted and thus uncover a tapering funnel, Z, when the lever is tilted in the manner above indicated. The uncovering of said funnel permits the heat supplied by alamp, m, located under the funnel, to escape into the open air, whereas when said valve is depressed it covers the upper end of the funnel and causes the heatand products of combustion from the lamp to pass through a ilue, a.

From the above description it will be apparent that when the heat supplied by the lamp to the incubator is below agiven degree the lever ZZ will remain in position to hold the valve 7c against the funnel Z, and thus maintain a continuous supply of heat to the incubator; but when the temperature within-the incubator exceeds said given degree the expansion of the air in the chamber c forces some of the liquid into the receptacle f, and thus tilts thelever d and opens the valve k, thereby permitting the heat to escape without passing through the flue n, and at the same time raising a valve, o, attached to the lever and allowing the heated air of egg-chamber to escape from the upper portion of the incubator through an orifice, p, which is normally covered by said valve. Vhen the temperature is sufficiently reduced, the contraction of the air in the chamber c permits part of the liquid to return from the receptacle f to said chamber, whereupon the lever eZ, which is so weighted as to close the funnel Z and orifice p when this takes place, resumes its former position and the incubator is again heated.

The receptacle h, being air-tight as to its upper portion and having its only opening in the lower portion, is capable of receiving a small quantity of liquid from the receptacle f and of retaining more or less of said liquid by atmospheric pressure, the quantity retained being dependent on the temperature of the air surrounding said receptacle. Should the te mperature fall the air in the receptacle h contracts and draws more liquid into saidreceptacle, so that more liquid must be forced from the chamber cinto the receptacle f than before to operate the regulator. The receptacles f h are preferably adjustable on the lever d, so that they may be moved independently toward and from the fulcrum e, and thus enable the regulator to be adjusted so as to act at different temperatures with a greater degree of accuracy than by the coarser preliminary method of putting in and taking waterfrom it.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the chamber c as containing only air and connected with the upper part of the receptacle h, said receptacle being air-tight at its upper portion, like that shown in Fig. I, and connected by tube (preferably fiexible) with the open receptacle f. Each receptacle contains a quantity of liquid. The pressure caused by the expansion of the air inthe chamber c is communicated to the air in the receptacle h and expels a part of the liquid therefrom intol the receptacle f, 4thus causing the lever to tilt, as before described.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a weight, h, as a substitute for the receptacle h, the receptacle f being connected with the liquid-holding portion of the chamber c, as in Fig. 1. The operation of this modification is the same as of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, excepting that the-regulator is not affected by the temperature ofthe room in which the apparatus is located.

The flue mwhieh conducts the heat from the funnel Z into the incubator, preferably passes through the liquid in the chamber c when the apparatus is constructed as shown in Fig. 1, and passes from thence out through the casing a. The liquid in said chamber thus becomes the means of diffusing the heat upon the eggs in the egg-tray under said chamber and of heating the air in the chamber. Said flue may, if preferred, extend outside of the chamber c, (thus communicating heat directly to the chamber,) or may pass through a tank, y, surrounding said chamber and containing water. (See Figs. 2 and 3.) In this case the flue may return to the funnel Z, as shown-in Fig. 3, so that the same air and products of combustion may be repeatedly reheated. The flue should have a small opening at y to allow for expansion and contraction.

I prefer to provide the funnel Z with a waterjacket, s, communicating by a pipe, t,with the lower portion of the chamber c,`(in case the latter contains water,) and by a pipe, u, with a coil, u', in the casing a below the egg-tray, said coil communicating by a pipe, v,with the chamber c. The objectof this arrangement is to warm the lower portion of the casing a by a circulation of warm water through the coil u.

rIhe air in the incubator may be moistened by evaporation of water from cloths placed below the egg-tray, orfrom a pan, or in any other suitable way.

A spring, A, sustaining a receptacle, asf', may be substituted for the lever d, as shown in Fig. 5. In said ligure I have shown the damper k attached directly to the receptacle f.

My invention is not confined to the regulation of heat in incubators, but maybe used to regulate furnace heat supplied to apartments, the air-tight chamber c being placed in an apartment to be heated by the furnace and the movable receptacle f, or the movable receptacles f la and their supporting-lever,in suitable proximity to the furnace. In this case movements of the receptacle or receptacles, caused by the expansion or contraction of air in the chamber @,may be caused to check or increase the draft of the furnace, as usual in heat-regulators for furnaces.

I claim-- ber within said apartment containing a fluid,

a lever without said apartment having an open and closed receptacle, a communication from both receptaclesito saidcham-ber independent of said lever, and heat-controlling. devices connected with and operated by said receptacles, substantially as set forth.

2. The'A combination of a casingor apartment, a chamberwithin said casing containing a fluid, the heating-pipe extending therethrough and connected withv the source of vsup-` ply of heat, an external tilting lever, arecep-l tacle at one end .of saidlever and havinga communication with said chamber independentof said lever, and a counterpose for the rei ceptacle on said lever, and heat-regulating devices connected with and operated by said lever, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a casing or apartment, means for heating it externally, a chamber, c, containing amfluid, an external tilting lever, and two receptacles, fh,`at opposite ends of said lever, said receptacles having a tubular connection with each oth er, and with the chamber independent of the lever, substantiallyas set forth.

4. The combination of the casing, the sealed chamber @within the casing, an external heater, a funnel or passage over the same, a flue, n, adapted to conduct heated air through the p Y casing,the tilting lever voutside of the casing, 1 The combination r of a casing or apartment, means for artificially heating it, a [cham-y having the valve k, adapted to either divert 35 the heated'air into the 'flue n or permit itkgto pass directly through said funnel orpassage, the receptacle f on .said lever, connected, as described,with the chamber c, and a counterpoise on said lever for the receptacle f, as set 4o forth.

5. The'cohibinationof'thecasing, the chamber c therein, the external funnel, Z, theflue from Asaid funnel extending through the cham- 'ber e', thelever d, having the valve or damper 45 k, the receptacle f on said lever, connected, as- `describedvith the chamber c, and a counter.- poise on the lever for said receptacle, as set forth. 6. The combination of the casing, the cham- 50 ber c therein, means for heating said casing, the tilting lever d, the open .receptacle f, vand the sealed receptacle h on said lever, connec- Y scribing witnesses, this 6th day of November, 6ov

` ono. E. TALBOT.

Witnesses; Y

CHARLES DUTTON, CARRIE A. DUTTON. 

